Transit of Venus viewings

On the afternoon and evening of June 5, people in Hawaiʻi will have the rare opportunity to view the planet Venus cross the disk of the sun. This is a rare ocurance’the next transit of Venus will occur in 2117.

The Institute for Astronomy will set up telescopes equipped with special solar filters for public viewing on Waikīkī Beach, at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island and at Ko Olina near Lagoon 4 from noon until dusk. Weather permitting, there will also be a small viewing station on the lawn of the Institute for Astronomy in Mānoa Valley.

They will distribute free solar viewers that will allow individuals to look at the sun safely.

Hawaiʻi and Alaska are the only places in the United States where this event can be viewed in its entirety. In the contiguous 48 states, the sun will set before the transit is over. In Honolulu, the transit will begin at 12:10 p.m. and end at 6:45 p.m.